As everyone waited, time flew by.
The tournament was held in the central area of Ambry Island. This location was once the site of the island's darkest and most wicked slave trade. That filthy market, a place of despair and suffering, had been completely wiped from the map long ago by a single, casual Ki Blast from Takero. Now, standing upon the ruins, a colossal new circular arena had been built. Capable of holding tens of thousands of spectators, it looked like an ancient Roman Colosseum and symbolized a new beginning.
This was a stage for the strong, a place where glory and dreams were born.
At this moment, every seat in the arena was filled with people who had come from all over the world. The roar of the crowd and the waving of colorful flags created a massive wave of sound that soared into the sky. The noise was so loud that people miles away at the port could hear it clearly.
As the countdown on the giant screen in the center of the arena hit zero—
Boom!
With a thunderous bang, dozens of confetti cannons positioned around the venue fired at once. Colorful fireworks exploded in the sky like brilliant stars, immediately pushing the excited atmosphere to a new height.
Amidst the falling confetti and deafening cheers, a host in a flashy golden tuxedo and holding a golden microphone walked to the center of the stage. He spread his arms wide and, in a passionate and booming voice, shouted the opening words.
"Gentlemen! Ladies! Warriors from across the Four Seas! And to all our friends who love combat and passion! Welcome to Ambry Island! Welcome to the Third World's Strongest Martial Arts Tournament!"
"Woooooah!" The entire venue erupted in an even more thunderous roar.
"This tournament is sponsored exclusively by our great Golden Group!" the host continued, his voice stirring up the crowd. "Here, you will witness the highest level of combat! You will see the birth of a king! And don't forget, our massive prize pool of ten billion Berries is waiting for you!"
He suddenly waved his hand, pushing the energy to its peak. "And now! Let's give our warmest applause and cheers to welcome the founder of the Golden Group! The pride of Ambry Island! The man who conquered the world with his voice—the Golden Emperor, Tesoro! He's here to give you the most spectacular opening performance!"
"Tesoro!"
"Golden Emperor!"
"I love you!"
"Aaaahhhh!"
The audience went completely wild. People jumped to their feet, waving their arms and screaming the legendary name with all their might. As the cheers echoed, Tesoro, dressed in a golden stage outfit and shining like a superstar, slowly rose onto the stage from a lift below. His singing was magical, filled with a power and hope that instantly ignited the passion of everyone in the crowd, pushing the already electric atmosphere even higher.
In a corner of the audience, Uta stood on her chair, waving a small flag and excitedly jumping to the music. "Wow! This is awesome! Tesoro's singing is just as amazing as ever!"
"Hey now, Uta, try to be a lady," Shanks said, helplessly lifting her off the chair.
Uta immediately turned and made a face at him. "No way, idiot Shanks! I don't want to be a lady! Rock and roll is my style!"
Shanks shook his head, unable to do anything with her. He knew Uta was a user of the Sing-Sing Fruit and had a natural talent and love for music. For some reason, though, she was obsessed with powerful rock music, and her personality was just as wild. He had no idea where she got it from.
In another, more hidden corner of the audience, a different group of mysterious people were also wrapped in cloaks. One of them, a man with heavy makeup and a very large head, couldn't help but shout excitedly as he listened to Tesoro's song. "Yee-haw! What an amazing atmosphere! It's so exciting my head is about to explode!"
One of his subordinates next to him asked anxiously, "Ivankov, are you serious?! Is it bad?"
The man called Ivankov blinked his eyes and said comically, "I'm just kidding you~!"
"Oh! So it was a joke!" his subordinates realized.
The man in the center of their group, who had a strange tattoo on his face, was used to Ivankov's bad jokes and didn't even react. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon.
He turned to a girl next to him, who, despite her cloak, had a heroic and dashing presence. "Ginny, what are your thoughts?" he asked in his deep, powerful voice. "What kind of person do you think this Takero is?"
The girl named Ginny shook her head. "I don't know, Dragon. I can't quite figure him out." She paused for a moment before continuing. "The World Government's newspapers call him a cruel and bloodthirsty demon, but according to the intelligence our Revolutionary Army has gathered in the North Blue, he hasn't done anything to oppress the common people. In fact, he used his power to unite the entire criminal underworld of the North Blue. In a way, he brought order to the region and gave the people there, who are constantly suffering from wars and pirate attacks, a rare chance to live in peace."
A look of genuine admiration appeared in Ginny's eyes. "And... I think that anyone who could single-handedly abolish the slave system in the North Blue... no matter what else he's done... has to be a good person, right?"
Dragon listened and slowly nodded, agreeing with her. A look of determination flashed in his usually serious eyes. "No matter what," he said, "for the Revolutionary Army to grow stronger in the North Blue... we must make contact with this mysterious Emperor of the North."
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